Vanderbilt only has 2 on board so far, but Mason is winning over recruits

Geez, the guy has only been on the job for a matter of weeks, yet Derek Mason and his staff are already beginning to make an impression on recruits. You have to hand it to Mason and his staff, they’re doing a good job so far with Vanderbilt. This wasn’t the usual “follow up” coaching situation after a change in Nashville.

Case in point is Donovan Sheffield–who was going to be a 2015 gem for James Franklin had the coach stayed at Vanderbilt. Sheffield was on board super early, but when the coaching change took place, he decided to look around a bit and size up the new staff. But in the end, the four-star cornerback and national top 250 prospect came back into the fold with the Commodores.

That’s a sign of the job the coach is doing. Franklin was arguably the most exciting thing to happen to Vandy football–ever. In just a few weeks, he’s already built Penn State’s 2015 class into the nation’s top group–even ahead of Alabama–so that shows what Vanderbilt lost. For Mason to jump right in and secure a kid like Sheffield means he is just as exciting to recruits as Franklin was.

Vandy’s other pickup, running back Josh Crawford out of Alabama, is the more recent commitment.